Stephen Sondheim Net Worth

Stephen Sondheim net worth is$20 Million

Stephen Sondheim Wiki/Biography

Stephen Sondheim was born on the 22nd March 1930, in New York City, USA into a Jewish family, and is a composer and playwright, considered one of the most important of the 20th century. He is the author of some of the most significant American musicals such as “A Little Night Music”, “Sweeney Todd” and “Into the Woods”. Sondheim has been active in the music industry since 1954.

How rich is the composer and playwright? It has been estimated by authoritative sources that the overall size of Stephen Sondheim’s net worth is as much as $20 million, as of the data presented in the early 2017. Music is the main source of Sondheim’s wealth.

Stephen Sondheim Net Worth $20 Million

To begin with, Stephen Sondheim was born into a wealthy middle class family. Shortly before his tenth birthday his parents divorced, and Stephen with his mother moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, just a few meters from the residence of the most influential author of the American musical theatre, Oscar Hammerstein II, who inspired love and passion for both music and the theatre, giving him his first lessons on how to write musical comedies. Sondheim attended George School, where he actually wrote his first musical – “By George” – before studying theatre at Wlliams College in Massachusetts.

Concerning his career in theatre, at the age of 26 he wrote (alongside Leonard Bernstein) the lyrics for “West Side Story”, his first major success. After writing the lyrics for Jule Styne’s “Gypsy” in 1959 Sondheim presented himself more and more as a composer of Broadway musicals. Thus followed the musicals including “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (1962), “Company” (1970), “Follies” (1971), “A Little Night Music” (1973), “Pacific Overtures” (1976), “Sweeney Todd” (1979) and “We Roll Along” (1981) all directed by Harold Prince. Stephen Sondheim composed the music and wrote the lyrics for “Anyone Can Whistle” (1964), worked as a writer with Richard Rodgers on “Do I Hear A Waltz”(1965), wrote new lyrics for Bernstein’s “Candide” (1974), and composed the music and wrote the lyrics to the love drama “Passion”. The script was written by James Lapine, and together they made “Sunday in the Park with George” (1984) for which they won a Pulitzer Prize. Sondheim’s lyrics and music are distinct, characteristic and therefore very typical. He knows how to turn the everyday things into beautiful poetry. His net worth was constantly rising with each success.

Furthermore, Sondheim composed the music for the films “Stavisky” (1974), “Reds” (1981) and wrote several songs for the film “Dick Tracy” (1992), performed by Madonna. He wrote with Anthony Perkins the screenplay for the film “The Last of Sheila”, and composed the music and lyrics for the television musical “Evening Primrose” (1966). Also several musicals were filmed including “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (1966), “A Little Night Music” (1977), “Sweeney Todd” (2008) and “Into the Woods” (2015).

What is more, Sondheim has won Tony Awards among others, as the Best Composer and Best Lyricist for “Sweeney Todd”, “A Little Night Music”, “Follies” and “Company”. The latter also won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. In 1990, he received an Oscar for the song “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)” from the film “Dick Tracy”. Sondheim was honoured for his lifetime achievements with a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2008) and a special Laurence Olivier Award (2011).

In addition, Stephen Sondheim is a board member of the Dramatists Guild, the American Association of Playwrights, Composers and Lyricists, and was chairman from 1973 to 1981 and was elected to in 1983, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1989, Stephen was appointed Visiting Professor of Drama and Musical Theatre at the University of Oxford. In September 2010, the Broadway theatre in New York was renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, to coincide and celebrate Sondheim’s 80th birthday.

Finally, in the personal life of the composer, he admits to being gay, and although there’s a 50 year age difference, has been in a relationship with stage identity Jeff Romley for 15 years.

[on 'Assassins'] Every time I saw a reference to the show as singing, dancing assassins, it would just piss me off, pardon the expression. Sing they do, but when they dance they're not happy about it. Nobody at the end of the show should feel that we have been excusing or sentimentalizing these people. We're examining the system that causes these horrors. The U.S. Constitution guarantees the pursuit of happiness. It doesn't guarantee the happiness. That's the difference. These are people who feel they've been cheated of their happiness, each one in a different way.

2

[observation, 2014] How much effect does the theatre have on life? In the '20s, the theatre had an effect on public thinking. I think today, by the time a show gets onstage, the idea has already passed. Theatre is now a cottage industry and a cottage entertainment. It doesn't have much influence.

3

I want people to enjoy what I write. I'm a product of Broadway, no matter how pretentious anybody thinks what I write is. I'm not writing for myself. I'm writing to entertain, to make people laugh and cry and think. I want as big an audience as possible.

4

Oscar Hammerstein really believed that there was 'A bright golden haze in the meadow'. I never have.

5

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of hearing my voice before, I tend to sing very loud, often off-pitch, and always write in keys that are just out of my range.

6

My mother had a lot of pretensions. One of them that she picked up from some of her tonier friends was 'luncheon' which always struck me as a screamingly funny word. 'I'm having a luncheon at 21' she would say. I think 'lunch' is one of the funniest words in the world. That's one of the reasons I used it.

7

On stage, generally speaking, the story is stopped or held back by songs, because that's the convention. Audiences enjoy the song and the singer, that's the point. Static action - if that's not an oxymoron - is accepted. It's what writer Burt Shevelove used to call "savouring the moment". That's a very tricky business on film. It's fine if the songs are presentational, as in a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-style movie where you watch them for the fun of it, but not with storytelling songs. When the song is part of the action and working as dialogue, even two minutes is way too long.

8

My idea of heaven is not writing.

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Fact

1

George Furth and his play, "Getting Away with Murder," in a Gordon Davidson and Mark Taper Forum production at the Sundays at the Itchey Foot Theatre in Los Angeles, California was awarded the 1992 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Production.

2

His musical,"Into the Woods" on Broadway in New York City was nominated for a 2002 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Revival.

3

He was awarded the 1989 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Original Musical Score for, "Into the Woods," at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

4

He was awarded the 1971 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (Special Award) for Restoring Craftsmanship to the Art of the Lyric for the musical, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

5

His musical, "Assassins" at the Kokandy Productions Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2015 Joseph Jefferson Non-Equity Award for Musical Production.

6

His musical, "Sweeney Todd," at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 1993 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Musical Production.

7

His musical, "Into the Woods" at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 1990 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Musical Production.

8

His musical, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at the Porchlight Music Theatre was nominated for a 2015 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Midsize Musical Production.

9

His musical revue, "Sondheim on Sondheim" at the Porchlight Music Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2015 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Revue Production.

10

His musical, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," at the Porchlight Music Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for the 2015 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Midsize Musical Production.

11

His musical, "Into the Woods" at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2007 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Production and Ensemble.

12

His musical, "Sweeney Todd" at the Apple Tree Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 1987 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Production.

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama 24 November 2014.

15

James Lapine and his musical, "Passion" at the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2014 Joseph Jefferson Non-Equity Award for Musical Production.

16

Arthur Laurents and his musical, "Gypsy" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2014 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Large Musical Production.

17

His musical, "Sunday In the Park With George," at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2013 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Large Musical Production.

18

His musical, "Follies" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Production (Large).

19

His musical, "Sweeney Todd" at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre in Oakbrook, Illinois was nominated for a 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Production (Large).

20

His musical revue, "Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together," at the Porchlight Music Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Production (Midsize).

21

His musical, "A Little Night Music" at the Writers' Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical (Large).

22

He has stated that his original ambition was to become a mathematician and that he became a composer largely by chance. A big influence was the fact that famed lyricist Oscar Hammerstein (of Rodgers & Hammerstein) was a neighbor of his when Sondheim was a boy. When he wrote a musical for a school production, he showed it to Hammerstein who told him it was the worst musical he had ever read. However, Hammerstein also told him that nonetheless it showed a lot of latent talent and proceeded to tell him everything that was wrong with it and how to fix it, for which Sondheim was always grateful.

23

His musical, "Merrily We Roll Along," at the Music Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for the 2011 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical (Midsize).

24

Stephen Sondheim won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical 1985 "Sunday in the Park with George" collaborating with James Lapine.

25

Won a 2008 Special Tony Award (New York City) lifetime achievement award.

26

His play, "Company," was awarded the 1977 Joseph Jefferson Citation for Play-Production at the Summer Comedy Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

27

Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.

28

Member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Williams College.

29

Alumni of George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania. His first musical was named By George about life at the Bucks Country Boarding School. It was written and performed when he was a student.

30

The vast majority of Desperate Housewives (2004) episodes are named after after Sondheim shows, songs, or lyrics ("Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry is a Sondheim fan). The cast of the show also participated in a video tribute to Sondheim shown at his 75th birthday concert on July 8, 2005, at the Hollywood Bowl. In the video, the cast (in their "Housewives" characters) listed their favorite Sondheim songs for comedic effect.

31

His two favorites among his own songs are Someone in a Tree (Pacific Overtures) and The Miller's Son (A Little Night Music).

32

He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1996 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.

33

Was mentor to the late Jonathan Larson, creator of Rent and Tick, Tick . . . BOOM!.

Has won seven Tony Award: in 1971, as best score (musical) and best lyrics (musical) for Company; in 1972, as best score (composer and lyricist) for Follies; in 1973, as best score (musical-music and lyrics) for A Little Night Music; in 1979, as best score (music and lyrics) for Sweeney Todd; in 1988, as best score (musical-music and lyrics) for Into the Woods; and in 1994, as best score (music and lyrics) for Passion. He was also Tony-nominated six other times: in 1958, his lyrics as part of a best musical nomination for West Side Story; in 1960, his lyrics as part of a best musical nomination for Gypsy; in 1965, as best composer and lyricist with collaborator Richard Rodgers for Do I Hear a Waltz?; in 1976, as best score (music and lyrics) for Pacific Overtures; in 1982, as best score (music and lyrics) for Merrily We Roll Along; and in 1984, as best score (music and lyrics) for Sunday in the Park with George. Although A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum won the Tony for best musical in 1963, this is a producer's award.

He was awarded the 1989 London Evening Standard Theatre Award's Special Award for Lifetime Achievement to Theatre.

41

He was awarded the 2004 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Outstanding Musical Production of 2003 for Pacific Overtures performed at the Donmar Warehouse.

42

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (basis for the 1966 movie of the same name) was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Outstanding Musical Production.

43

His musical, Merrily We Roll Along, was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 (2000 season) for Best New Musical.

44

Provides the voice of Rose's father on the original cast album to Gypsy (1962) in the song, Some People. He practically snarls the line "You ain't getting eighty-eight cents out of me, Rose!" Sondheim claims this is because he was incredibly frustrated with Ethel Merman, who refused to read the line "...and you can go to hell!".

His very first job when he graduated Williams College was to head to Hollywood and work as an assistant writer on the hit early sitcom, Topper (1953). He donated the scripts to the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research in Madison.

47

Born at 3:30am-EST.

Soundtrack

Title

Year

Status

Character

The 33rd Annual Tony Awards

1979

TV Special writer: "The Worst Pies in London"

Shirley MacLaine at the Lido

1979

TV Movie writer: "Send in the Clowns"

The 32nd Annual Tony Awards

1978

TV Special writer: "Another Hundred People"

A Little Night Music

1977

writer: "Love Takes Time", "Now/Soon/Later", "The Glamorous Life", "You Must Meet My Wife", "Every Day A Little Death", "A Weekend in the Country", "It Would Have Been Wonderful", "Send in the Clowns", "Finale", "Night Waltz"

TV Movie lyrics: "The Advantages Of Floating In The Middle Of The Sea", "There Is No Other Way", "Four Black Dragons", "Chrysanthemum Tea", "Poems", "Welcome To Kanagawa", "Someone In A Tree", "Lion Dance", "Please Hello", "A Bowler Hat", "Pretty Lady", "Next" / music: "Prologue", "The Advantages Of Floating In The Middle Of The Sea", "There Is No Other Way", "Four Black Dragons", "Chrysanthemum Tea", "Poems", "Welcome To Kanagawa", "March To The Treaty House", "Someone In A Tree", "Lion Dance",

TV Movie documentary writer: "I Feel Pretty/A Boy Like That" from West Side Story

From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook

2013

TV Movie writer: "Finishing the Hat", "Sunday", "Somewhere"

Home & Family

2013

TV Series writer - 1 episode

The 67th Annual Tony Awards

2013

TV Special documentary lyrics: "I Like to Be on a TV Show/You Gotta Get a Series/Television Sucks/What I Did for Love" / music: "I Like to Be on a TV Show/You Gotta Get a Series/Television Sucks/What I Did for Love"

When Comedy Went to School

2013

Documentary lyrics: "Send in the Clowns" / music: "Send in the Clowns"